Last Call
by Nirianne
Summary: Prequel to: Wintery Regrets. A phone call from Tala allowed the past to resurface bringing along memories of a friend who never had the chance to say goodbye. Story alternates between Kai and Tala. R&R!
1. Last Call Part 1

**A/N: **This is a prequel to _Wintery Regrets, _a two-shot story.

Note: Снежинка is Snowflake in Russian, pronounced as 'snieZHINka'.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Summary: **Prequel to: Wintery Regrets. A phone call from Tala allowed the past to resurface bringing along memories of a friend who never had the chance to say goodbye. Story alternates between Kai and Tala. R&R!

* * *

**Last Call (Part 1)**

At a large, lavish hotel by the sea, a celebration was held for Tyson's third consecutive world championship title. Limousines pulled up in front of the hotel, one by one; bladers from each team stepped out dressed lavishly in tux and gowns. The lobby filled with chatter; former teammates and new friends talked and laughed, recalling old memories or updating with new events. The golden plated doors of the luxurious hall opened, emitting a soft golden glow. Ivory pillars were intricately decorated with carvings of each blader's bit-beast. The carvings were so life like; it almost felt as if the pillars gained the spirits of the bit-beasts, watching over their masters. Pressed against the walls were tables of food prepared exclusively from chefs brought from countries the BBA visited. On stage at the end of the hall was a small symphonic band with Ming-Ming as the vocalist.

"Isn't this party great?" Tyson exclaimed b-lining to the first table of food. First up: expensive sushi. "All this food! For **me**!"

"Yes, that's great Tyson," Hilary rubbed her temples watching her _date_ gobble down the first tray of undefended sushi. _ I can't believe the girls convinced me to go on a date with this moron. Well at least I got a hundred and fifty Yen for it!_

Couples walked in pair by pair, greeted by their friends. When Rei and Mariah arrived, everybody flocked to them. Apparently as rumor went, Lee gave Rei the 'approval'.

"So is it true?" Matilda squealed holding Mariah's hands. "You're getting engaged?"

Mariah blushed and nodded. After much consideration and talk in her village, the decision was up to Lee. Through much deliberation, Lee agreed. Rei couldn't be happier; he was about to be engaged to his childhood sweetheart. Placing a kiss on Mariah's cheek, she blushed, elbowing him on his stomach. Entangling herself from him she followed Matilda guiding her toward the rest of Barthez Battalion. Introducing Mariah to Miguel, both shook hands and Mariah had a glint in her eye; something was up! Blushing, Miguel's arm slipped around Matilda's shoulder as the girl had a lot of explaining to do! The rest of the girls began ganging up on them; apparently Matilda had to answer to all of them, followed by Mariah, naturally.

Everybody had a great time at the party as conversations echoed with laughter. It wasn't an everyday occurrence everybody could get together and talk about _everything_. Every team showed up except the Blitzkrieg Boys. Soon taking the stage, Mr. Dickenson began his speech, welcoming the bladers with open arms. Moving to the side, he allowed the World Champ himself to give a few words, _if_ he could manage it without spilling food out of his mouth! The crowd laughed at Tyson who blushed swallowing the gigantic piece of tempura. Rubbing the back of his head, the teen thanked Mr. Dickenson and his friends, the Bladebreakers or team G-Revolutions. He couldn't do what he did without their support!

The crowd grew louder and louder, cheering at the World Champ! Everybody cheered except Kai, leaning by the wall silently sipping a glass of beer, head in the clouds. _Everything is over,_ he recited in his mind. Swirling the golden liquid, what now? Go back to Moscow? Stay here in Tokyo? Travel the world? Maybe. His eyes glanced around at everybody who had smiles on their faces. Being around lots of people was something he never got used to, especially when everybody was so _happy_. Lowering his face, he took another sip, downing the liquid moving to the bar. Ordering another glass, he ignored the speeches held from former rivals who were now friends. Friends, huh?

"Aren't you going to join your buddies?" the bartender asked.

"…"

"Not a socialite I see," he gave Kai another glass. "Don't drink too much; the night's still young."

"…"

Kai moved away from the bar walking back to where he stood. He hoped nobody would bother him for the rest of the night. Hell, if he were to disappear now, nobody would notice anyway. Okay, maybe one person: Tyson. Kai sighed, downing more and more of the alcoholic beverage. He should go. Pushing himself off the wall, his phone rang. He grunted, glancing at the screen; in Russian text it wrote: **Incoming call from Tala Ivanov.**

"What?" Kai snapped, picking up the call, downing another sip.

"_Been drinking have you?"_

"…What do you want? It better be something worth my attention."

Silence. On the other side of the line, Tala glanced over at his teammates not sure how to break the news.

"_Return to Moscow immediately." _ He instructed. Turning his attention to the frost covered window sill, his fingers traced the frosts' outline.

"Why? I don't—"

"_Just come back! It's…"_ Tala questioned himself: could he do this? Could he break the news to his best friend?

A sudden chill ran down Kai's spine. If Tala spoke in this manner, something was definitely wrong. Placing the glass on a table he left into the silent hallway. Undoing his tie, he tossed it aside. He stood in front of a large crystallized glass panel staring at the glowing moon. The winds howled in pain.

"What's wrong?"

Tala fell silent. His knuckles turned white, lowering his face he asked, _"Do you remember 'Project V-0717'?"_

"…What?"

"_V-0717 Codename: Arachnoid."_

Butterflies fluttered in his stomach. That was… that was…

"What of it?" He tried keeping his voice sturdy but inside, cracks appeared, slowly…

Tala breathed, _"Spencer and Bryan went to see her this morning and—"_

"And?"

"_Viktoria's dead."_

Lightning flashed across the sky, the winds howled, the sea thrashed against the shoreline. Lights within the hotel flickered. Kai hung up. The lone wolf shook his head. No, it couldn't be true. It… just couldn't.

'_Beep… beep… beep…'_

Tala placed the phone down and breathed. Suddenly a small body purred around his legs. Glancing down was Viktoria's cat, Snowflake meowed.

Picking up the feline Tala spoke, "Снежинка…"

The feline sensed something was wrong. Rubbing his head against Tala's chest, the ginger cat purred, waiting. Unfortunately Snowflake was ill; yesterday Ian took the feline to the vet. Snowflake was diagnosed with FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. Nobody knew how long the feline suffered the disease but it was in its last stages, nobody could do anything. It was almost too coincidental; with the death of Viktoria, Snowflake's demise was soon to follow. Tala walked out of the room placing the weakened feline down on the table. Picking his coat from the rack, he threw it on followed by snow boots, gloves and a thick, wool scarf. Picking up the cat, Tala cradled it, walking to the door. Bryan and the others waited for him. With their leader joining them, the boys nodded slowly making their way to the edge of town, to the cemetery. As they walked, they passed a florist. It was Ian's idea to buy flowers, especially white lilies.

Arriving at the black metallic gates, Spencer pushed it open walking to the grave at the end of the cemetery. Snowflake jumped out of Tala's arms onto his owner's grave. He meowed weakly as his paw clawed the marble tombstone. The feline turned to the boys, meowing at them before walking in circles, flattening the snow and curled into a ball. Snowflake closed his eyes to rest.

Bryan shook his head, fists tightening; none of this should have happened! The amount of guilt washed over him when he remembered his days at the abbey. He remembered mistreating Viktoria and Snowflake without concern. God, he was a fool! Ian lowered himself petting Snowflake, placing lilies on the grave.

"It's our fault," Ian spoke quietly stroking Snowflake's head. "If only we weren't so blinded by greed and power,"

"Understandable," Spencer crouched down dusting away the snow from the tombstone. "We were foolish to treat her like dirt. My apologies," Spencer lowered his head, placing down a lily.

"For all the things we've done, it's all our fault." Bryan whispered, placing down another lily.

Tala remained silent. He was the one to blame. Memories took him back to two years ago; Boris ordered Tala to take 'good care' of her making sure she stayed in line and made sure she was available for 'other services'. He closed his eyes remembering the day Viktoria was presented to them. He remembered Boris introduced her as a test subject to test out the power of a new bit-beast: Arachnoid, a large, menacing and highly uncontrollable tarantula. She was a defect and Boris used her because she was disposable. Boris knew this bit-beast could kill her if it chose to. At the time, Tala and his teammates didn't care about her well-being; human lives were expendable. Tala's fists tightened; if only he wasn't so blind she wouldn't need to have suffered.

"Tala," Ian broke the silence as his hand left Snowflake.

Tala, Bryan and Spencer gazed down at Snowflake. The feline ceased to move. His breaths were no longer visible in the icy wind.

"Snowflake's finally at peace." Ian picked up Snowflake passing the feline into Bryan's arms.

"To be with his owner…" Bryan felt Snowflake's body warmth fading.

Spencer walked passed Bryan kneeling next to Viktoria's grave. His bare hands dug into the snow. The soil was frozen over but the teen needed to do this; for all the sins he and his teammates committed, this was at least something he could do. His fingers were numb and sore but Spencer continued digging. He managed to dig a foot deep grave. Signaling Bryan, the teen approached the hole gently placing down Snowflake.

"Be with your owner, Snowflake," Spencer rubbed Snowflake's head one last time. "Make her happy."

"Hey, we're really sorry for what we did," Bryan said. "I know that you can't forgive us but at least, if it makes you feel better, you can forget us." Nodding to Spencer, the large teen pushed snow into the grave, paying his respects for the fallen feline.

Ian sniffed. Tears slid down his cheeks. "**I** **was a coward! I should have stopped Boris!**"

Everybody looked at Ian, confused. What was he talking about?

While BEGA was being formed, Boris tried to recruit her to crush the Bladebreakers, harnessing the power of the volatile bit-beast. Ian remembered hearing Viktoria out right refuse Boris' offer. And it was then it happened; Viktoria's blade was used against her. The gigantic monstrosity exploded out of the blade piercing its large venomous fangs into her heart.

"_Arachnoid!" she commanded. "I command you to—! Ugh!"_

"_**Arachnoid, destroy VIXIS!**__" Boris commanded. The tarantula didn't hesitate; the monster pumped venom into her. Its large jaws slowly crushed her ribs. Arachnoid watched his master succumbed to her knees, gasping for air. Her hands reached to her bit-beast, demanding answers. _

"_Why… Arachnoid… why would you do this to me? I… I thought we were… friends…"_

_Arachnoid threw Viktoria's body, slamming her against the wall. She coughed up pools of blood. The sight satisfied Boris, watching the defect slowly die before his very eyes. If she didn't want to help him, she was better off dead. Wasting all those funds on her was a complete waste of time but she proved one thing true: her bit-beast, Arachnoid was more deadly than he thought. It was quite a shame Arachnoid was destroyed the moment it used up its powers to destroy its master. Her blade stopped spinning, tipping to the side. The bit-chip glowed and exploded, shattering the blade into minuscule fragments._

"_**Vixis!**__" Ian ran to her cradling her in his arms. "__**Vixis!**__"_

"_Hi… Ian…" she spoke quietly. Weakly she smiled, "Heh, first time you called me… by my nickname…"_

"_Oh god! What do I do? Anti-venom! Yes, anti-venom! Please stay put! I'll get you anti-venom!" Ian was frantic! He didn't know if anti-venom would work! _

"_D-Don't worry… Ian. The venom won't kill me… yet." Viktoria coughed, hacking up blood. The red liquid disturbed Ian. He watched her struggling to speak, "Bring Tala, Bryan and Spencer… Bring them home…"_

Ian did exactly that; the moment he heard the world championships were over, he immediately contacted Tala. Ian could barely speak properly but he managed to relay Viktoria's message: Bring them home… They boys didn't wait around; the moment their private jet was ready, they left for Moscow.

_The boys entered her room; tubes and wires were attached all over her body. The room echoed with the sounds of the heart monitors beeping in slow rhythms. They feared at any moment, the heart monitors would stop and…_

"_Hi… guys." She moved her head toward the direction where the boys stood._

_Tala stepped forward, "Ian told us everything. How are you doing?"_

"_I'm fine..." She coughed quickly hiding her face. She didn't want to them to see her bloodstained lips. Quickly wiping her mouth, she turned around and smiled._

_Making conversation wasn't something Tala was accustomed to but he had to try; Viktoria was his friend. Viktoria was their friend. "BEGA has fallen."_

"_I know. Ian told me." She moved her head toward Tala's direction. "I see you're injured."_

"_How…?"_

_She reached out grabbing his hand, "I can tell by your voice. It seemed as if someone beat you pretty bad, didn't they? I can feel your fractured wrist…"_

"_Sharp as ever, aren't you?"_

_ Viktoria giggled. Turning her attention to Bryan and Spencer she smiled at them both._

"_And how are you two doing?"_

_ Talking to her again made the boys feel complete. For friends they never had but slowly gained over the years, she was a vital part of that web. Without her kindness, generosity and persistence, they would never have taken a second glance. They would have easily followed down the path of madness, paved by Boris. Human lives were expendable._

"_Do you think I can live long enough to see Kai again?" Viktoria asked abruptly pushing herself up. "I… need to ask him something."_

"_Of course you'll live to see him!" Bryan spoke energetically hiding his pain. Maybe he was fooling himself; he understood she didn't have much time but hope was the last thing he had to offer. "You're a strong woman, Viktoria! Never give up! You're going to beat this!"_

_She weakly laughed, "Thanks Bryan… Spencer?"_

_Everybody's eyes moved to the large teen. He uncrossed his arms approaching the bed. Getting down onto his knees he lowered his head. She moved her hand to his cheek. "We're sorry."_

_ Viktoria smiled. She leaned back into the bed placing both hands on her chest. "I'd like to rest for now. I'll talk to you all tomorrow. See you in the morning, my friends."_

When dawn rose, the boys never got the chance to talk to Viktoria. She was released in her sleep.

Reaching toward a small boulder, one the size of a small round melon, Tala pulled out a blade carving a snowflake pattern. The boys watched quietly as their leader worked; the blade struck the stone several times over as grooves appeared. A form of a snowflake took shape. Beneath the symbol Tala etched: Снежинка. Placing the boulder on top of Snowflake's grave, Tala stood back glancing over to Viktoria.

"May your souls find peace and happiness, Viktoria and Snowflake."

The wind gently blew around them, stirring up the flowers on the grave. It was time to go. Paying their respects one last time, the boys left.

"_Thank you, my dear friends," Viktoria spoke._

She leaned by the gates watching her friends disappear into the distance. Smiling, she felt at peace. Viktoria was happy she showed them the bonds of friendship through times encased by darkness. Now, there was only one more person she needed to see before she could move into the light. All she had to do now was wait.


	2. Last Call Part 2

**A/N: **Thank you to those who reviewed! It made really happy and to read what you guys wrote for me… it brings a smile to my face ;)

This chapter focuses on all the Blitzkrieg Boys although it's not mentioned in the summary.

Just a warning: this chapter is slightly darker than the previous one (and much darker than the things I usually write) so therefore, the rating fluctuates between T and M. M in the sense it is slightly graphic.

**Summary: **Prequel to: Wintery Regrets. A phone call from Tala allowed the past to resurface bringing along memories of a friend who never had the chance to say goodbye. Story alternates between Kai and Tala. R&R!

* * *

**Last Call (Part 2)**

He sat there in the darkness at three-thirty AM leaning by the bed listening to the sounds of the howling winds calling out his name. The news he heard hours ago barely digested; until now he could not and would not believe one of his best friends was gone. She was gone. Inevitably, over the years he witnessed the death of relatives but none impacted him to the point he _wanted _to shed tears. Guilt began building up within him demanding to know why he wasn't there beside her—beside her deathbed.

_Some moron I am… _Kai thought dimly running a hand through his hair. His free hand involuntarily yanked threads from the carpet demonstrating his frustration.

He couldn't stop blaming himself for not being there but in the same time, there was nothing he could have _done_ to prevent this madness.

"I need to redeem myself," Kai announced pushing off from the floor, "She needs me,"

The sun rose out of its sleeping cradle, pushing itself into the sky illuminating the horizon and setting the sky on fire. Kai stayed up all night with his mind fixed: he _needed_ to get to Moscow as soon as possible. Exiting his room, he marched to the elevator and pressed the 'Down' button to the lobby. He needed to get to the BBA Headquarters before the rest of humanity awoke from their slumber.

Arriving at BBA Headquarters at nine sharp, Kai made his way to Mr. Dickenson's office. Slamming the door open his eyes fell on—

"Thought about ditching us?"

Kai face-palmed. Standing there was his team. This was new; Tyson was awake _before_ noon. No, scratch that; Tyson was awake before nine AM. The navy-haired teen grinned. Kai massaged the area between his eyes before taking a seat opposite to Rei. Mr. Dickenson entered the room greeting everybody warmly. Everybody's eyes fixed onto the elder man, walking to the large world map on the wall.

"It's the beginning of the year and I've decided you all deserve a vacation," Mr. Dickenson smiled warmly. "I want you all to choose a destination. Air fares, hotel, transportation and other expenses will be covered."

"Sweet!" Tyson shot out of the seat. Daichi followed, mimicking Tyson's fist pumps in the air.

"Food! Food! Food!" Daichi chanted.

Mr. Dickenson smiled nervously at the boys pulling out his handkerchief dabbing the side of his face, "But please boys… don't go over eating?"

"Yeah," Hilary shot with arms crossed, directing her comments mainly at Tyson. "_Please_ don't eat out the entire city or they'll die of famine,"

"Hey!" Tyson snapped his head around giving her a dirty look. Meh, now it wasn't worth arguing with the Slave Driver. Tyson huffed, his eyes moved to the world map.

"I say we go to New York!" Max said brightly. "I want to go back to the Big Apple!"

"I like Max's idea!" Hilary added. "Just think of all the shopping places!"

"I don't…" Kenny sunk into his seat. The thought of noise pollution rattled his brain.

Rei scratched his chin in deep thought and suggested, "I say we can tour Japan or as another option we tour the Great Wall of China."

"I like Rei's idea!" Hilary clapped her hands in delight. She always wanted to experience the grandeur of the Great Wall. Now shopping was the last thing on her mind.

"Hokkaido!" Daichi yelled. "**FOOD!**"

Everybody continued calling out places but nobody seemed to come to an agreement. This was much harder than everybody thought.

"What about you, Kai? Where would you like to go?" Mr. Dickenson asked.

He stood up, walking to the table and picked up a thumb tack. Reaching to a globe, Kai spun it slamming the tack into the globe. With that done he left slamming the door behind him with authority. Everybody inched toward the globe, eyes fixed on Kai's destination.

At exactly one forty-five PM the next day, everybody was at the airport grumbling at Kai's destination. Tyson scrunched his nose in annoyance; of all the places Kai chose, why did it have to be here? Surely, he chose this place knowing full well everybody would suffer. Yeah, that was probably it; make everybody suffer.

"Pffft, Moscow…"

* * *

The plane touched down on to terra firma after an _agonizing_ ten hour non-stop flight. The Bladebreakers were nothing more than walking zombies the moment the stepped foot onto the land of the Russian Federation. Everybody yawned, unable to walk straight or clearly think. Regardless of what time it was in Moscow, everybody wanted to sleep right here, right now on the cold floor. Who cares if nearby passengers thought it was strange? Sleep trumps everything else.

"Where's… Kai?" Tyson asked, followed by a loud, ugly yawn.

Kai left the area to meet with his old teammates, the Blitzkrieg Boys. As expected, he approached the waiting area and there they were waiting for him.

Switching into the Russian tongue he said, "It's true then? She's…"

"Dead, yes," Tala replied with arms firmly crossed.

"Here," Ian stood up pulling out a slender, long white piece of cloth out of his coat pocket. "This was Viktoria's."

Kai clutched onto the cloth tightly. "This was her blindfold."

"Yeah…" Ian trailed off at a loss for words unsure of what else to say. Truth be told, her death impacted him greatly; she was one of his first 'friends' from the abbey.

During his time at the abbey he couldn't care less about anybody nonetheless her but she was one of those few individuals who was willing to listen, never to pass any type of judgment of any kind. He came to her when the madness around him overwhelmed him to the point he seeks sanctuary, even if it was a brief moment, he'd take anything. He remembered venturing through the dark hallways devoid of light, feeling his way through the steel plated walls arriving at the kitchen. The aroma of beef stew caught his attention immediately luring him to enter. Ian locked eyes on Viktoria's form, walking back and forth gathering ingredients and dropping them in the pot. For someone who was blind, she was highly skilled in cooking.

_Even before he said a word, she stopped stirring the pot and turned around, "Yes?"_

"_Um," Ian stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Do… Do you have a minute?"_

"_Certainly,"_

_ Turning the knob on the stove to low, she felt her way around the wooden table and pulled out a stool. Ian did the same; it annoyed him when he sat down on the stool to realize he was still shorter than her._

_ Five minutes passed by. The sound of the bubbling beef stew echoed in the background. Ian wasn't sure where to begin since he wasn't much of a talker._

"_Has Master Ivanov mistreated you?" Viktoria asked, breaking the silence._

"…_Yeah." Ian replied. "He called me an idiot, buffoon, moron, garbage—you know, everything."_

"_I take it you took it personally."_

_Ian slammed his fists onto the wooden table, tipping over a small jar of salt. "I know things like this shouldn't bother me but it annoys the hell out of me. It pisses me off. God, I hate him." _

_Viktoria picked up on the irritation in his voice. She shook her head, "You know Master Papov, you shouldn't let words get inside your head. After all, words mean nothing until they are not acted upon…"_

_ Her voice trailed off. She quickly shook her head and smiled._

"_Ah, please don't mind my ranting. Please continue,"_

"_And there's that psychopath Bryan! God, that guy deserves to be hung out in the cold to die!" _

_ Viktoria's finger twitched._

_Ian clutched his fists tightly forcing the color to drain out of his knuckles, "Everyday he tries to push me down the stairs or try to stab me. I don't know what his problem is!"_

_ She nodded._

"_I don't have anything against Spencer though but…" Ian trailed off. Quickly shaking his head he said, "What the hell am I doing? Why am I even complaining? Nobody has an opinion here,"_

"_I disagree,"_

"_What would you know?" Ian snapped angrily at her. "You're not like one of us! You're just a lowly, filthy slave!"_

"_Indeed I am," Viktoria replied._

_ What the hell? There was no sense in talking to this girl! She smiled. Sensing the stew was about ready, she immediately stood up heading back to the stove. Ian immediately noticed something was off with her._

"_What happened to your back?" Ian questioned, pointing to her back. It was unlike him to question but he was curious about her sudden 'condition'._

_She picked up a wooden spoon stirring the stew, "I misbehaved and therefore I was punished."_

_ Ian watched red liquid spread across her back, soaking her uniform. Viktoria instantly stopped, excusing herself from the kitchen. Curiously he followed her to the end of the hallway reaching the washroom. He caught the sound of shuffling and ripping paper towels. The light in the washroom flickered uncontrollably casting shadows in every direction. When the light bulb stopped flickering did Ian witness Viktoria's secret._

_What the… hell?_

_ Ian's eyes locked onto Viktoria's bloodstained back. The wounds on her skin were littered with slash and sliced wounds, carved into the shape of a pair of feathered, angel wings. He watched her press layers of paper towels against her flesh. Not once she uttered a single sound but instead, she bit her lip enduring the pain. Ian wondered: who would do such a thing? Who punished her and why?_

"_What the hell are you doing?" startled, he instantly turned around meeting eye to eye with Bryan. "Peeking into the bathroom? Aren't you a little too young for that kind of stuff? Heh,"_

"_Piss off Bryan," Ian hissed through his teeth. "I… I was just checking out Vik—"_

"_So, Viktoria's in there," Bryan kicked the door open. Ian heard Viktoria shuffle, pressing her back against the broken, porcelain wall. Bryan turned around to Ian with a deranged grin. Shoving Ian to the ground, Bryan held onto the door firmly, "Get lost, squirt. I'm going to have some fun,"_

Snapping back into reality, he made his way back into his seat. He knew what Bryan did to her; it repulsed him. To hear her screams literally pushed pins and needles into his heart, even if at the time he didn't realize it. Until today, Ian could not forgive the things Bryan did to her. He could not forgive nor could he forget. It was that moment in time he realized he had a sense of compassion for the girl, something he thought never existed.

_She was my friend._

Spencer sat silently with arms crossed in deep thought. Unlike Bryan or Ian, Spencer never had a problem with Viktoria except he found her a nuisance. Why? He thought she was a nuisance in the abbey, catching unnecessary attention from the other recruits. But, he couldn't help but feel a pinch of _pity_ for the girl when she was picked on by the other three but yet he mocked her weakness and for the fact she was a _defect_. A useless defect.

He remembered well; they sat in their private living room minding their own business until she entered. In her hands was a silver tray with cookies and tea. Ian stuck his foot out forcing her to trip, landing onto Bryan before he shoved her toward Tala's direction, spilling the scorching hot liquid into his lap. Ian smirked, Bryan snickered and Tala exploded, delivering a firm back hand to her cheek. Spencer watched her fall onto the floor with the china exploding from beneath her hands.

"_You worthless harlot!" Tala hissed, throwing the teacup at her, missing her face by mere inches._

"_My apologies…"_

_Spencer watched Tala deliver a strong kick to her gut. He reached down grabbing her throat tightly sinking his nails deep into her flesh. "Get out of my sight…"_

"_Yes, Master!"_

_ She scurried out of the room holding her hands close to her heart. Tala sat back into the chair with fists tightly clenched. Now look at the mess she made! He snapped his head to Bryan and Ian and both immediately turned away. _

_Tala snapped his head to Spencer, "You. Clean this up. When you're done, throw the pieces at that useless maid!"_

_ Spencer did what he was told; he picked up the pieces of shattered china placing them back on the tray. With that done, he left for the kitchen. For some reason, this encounter was slightly different; he began to think why she served under them. Did Boris instruct her to? Perhaps. Or maybe she had a motive? But… Spencer abruptly stopped. Of all the things they did to her, she remained loyal even if it meant enduring beatings for several hours. _

"_She has heart…" Spencer said quietly. _

_Spencer arrived into the empty kitchen placing the tray onto the wooden table. This was his first time in the abbey's kitchen and to his surprise, it was clean. _

"_Yes?" Spencer turned around face to face with Viktoria. She held her bloodied hands close to her chest. "Is there something I can do for you?"_

_He couldn't stop staring at her hands with pieces of broken china still embedded in them. "Nothing… Does it hurt?"_

"_Hm?" she tilted her head. "Oh, my hands? No, it's—hey!"_

_Spencer snatched her hands. "If you don't clean the wounds properly they'll be infected in no time in this hell hole and by the time you know it, your hands will be amputated,"_

_ Viktoria was taken by surprise by his sudden concerns. She didn't argue as he led her to sit before asking for the location of the first aid kid. Pulling out the metallic box, he opened it and removed the bottle of cleansing alcohol, cotton, tweezers and bandages onto the table. _

_Without looking at her he said, "This will sting."_

_ She nodded, biting down onto her lips. As expected, the tweezers dug into her flesh pulling out red shards of white china. One by one he carefully removed the shards piling onto the table. With each shard placed, Viktoria counted the amount of subtle noises the shards came into contact with another._

"_Fifty-seven shards," she said as her hands shook uncontrollably. _

_ Spencer didn't respond. Uncapping the bottle of cleansing alcohol, he poured a significant amount into a bunch of cotton balls. Viktoria cringed the moment the soaked cotton balls came in contact with her wounds; it felt as if her hands were set ablaze. The temptations to scream were at the tip of her tongue but she was taught never to express her weakness. Instead, she bit down firmly on her lower lip and crossed her feet under the table._

"_Throughout the years I've seen a lot of torture in here," Spencer began while he continued cleaning her wounds with the soaked cotton. "This is nothing compared to the nightmares I've witnessed,"_

"_R-Really?" she asked with a quivering voice. "W-What kind?"_

"_Those who are weak are isolated," he continued. "They will be singled out immediately. Some are younger than I and are forced to withstand the cold outside proving they have what it takes to survive. Others are whipped into bloody pulps. Some are used for scientific madness… Those who don't survive are hauled into the river or fed to the wolves. Heck, some kids are directly fed to the wolves."_

"_Oh…"_

_ He wrapped her hands carefully and sat back. He didn't understand why he did this but somehow, he felt a sense of what was right… slightly._

"_What do I do?" he said getting off the chair heading toward the stove. "You can't cook in your present condition."_

"_No, no, I can't let you do that!" Viktoria hopped off the chair maneuvering to Spencer. "You're my master! I can't let you dirty your hands and—"_

"_Viktoria," Spencer raised his voice. "I… I enjoy your cooking. Teach me how to prepare them."_

_ She was stunned, flabbergasted even by his words. With a smile forming on her face, she nodded._

"_Alright, I'll teach you."_

Spencer opened his eyes remembering that faithful day. She taught him how to cook even though she couldn't see the ingredients. He remembered she told him about her trial and errors. It was then it dawned on him nothing in this world was perfect. Perfection was an illusion.

"Well, shall we go?" everybody turned to the red head. "Let's go to her house,"

* * *

Arriving at the secluded mansion at six AM, the silver gates were unlocked. Icicles hung gracefully around the edge of the mansion creating a fairytalesque-like presence. The boys gained a sense of peace the moment they arrived at the crème colored mansion unlocking its doors. It was like a picture frozen in time; furniture was unmoved from its original position, pictures and portraits remain attached to the wall greeting the guests while crystal goblets shone brightly in expensive glass cabinets reflecting free floating dust. The flowers in the vases seemed to defy time, retaining their freshness and vitality untouched by time.

Spencer was the first one to split from the group walking directly to the kitchen. There, he remembered spending an entire afternoon here learning how to bake. His eyes adjusted for a moment focusing on a ghostly image of Viktoria walking back and forth with a smile on her face, holding a bowl.

"_Hey you're here!" she happily exclaimed. "I can't wait to bake this cake with you! We'll show the guys what we're made of!"_

Down the hallway, Ian pushed a door open revealing the painting room. He never truly understood why she had a painting room when she couldn't see but he knew she enjoyed it. Walking deeper into the room, he spotted a large piece of cloth of what appeared to be covering a canvas. He approached it, removing the cloth.

"Hmmm, I can't see anything,"

Turning his attention to the blinds beside him, he pulled them up. His eyes slowly moved back to the canvas and there he saw her, sitting on a stool dipping her fingers into several bottles of paint. She moved her fingers along the canvas drawing lines and curves extending from one side of the canvas to another. Ian watched her glance up at him with her smile.

"_Hehe, I'm not very good at it but I hope you guys will like it!"_

Upstairs, Bryan opened the door to the room where she slept in. Across the room was a white silk bed pushed up against the wall beneath a large window. Suddenly a ghostly figure of Viktoria manifested on the bed. She had her back turned to him. He recognized the dress she wore; it was a long silk gown with an exposed back…

"Her wings…"

He blinked and the entire room faded to darkness. He looked around and immediately he recognized the place; this was her room—no, prison in the abbey. There, his eyes fixed onto two figures on the bed. One of them was himself—the psychopath he once was. Lying next to him in a bloodied heap was Viktoria. The moon crawled out from behind the clouds revealing his handiwork; the moon's rays pierced through the snow covered window illuminating the details on her back. There, she had wings; bloodied scars and gashes carved into a shape of an angel's feathered wings. He watched himself lean against her whispering into her ear.

"_You said you always wanted wings and I gave them to you. Don't you like them?"_

Bryan was repulsed by this own actions. Shaking his head, the darkness dissipated and was replaced by the warm light of morning once again. There, her ghostly image remained seated with her back turned to him.

"_You gave me wings," she said coldly. "You gave me wings."_

"I…" he took a step forward. He understood a simple apology was not enough to compensate for all his crimes.

_Viktoria turned around, "You hurt me, Bryan."_

She vanished. Bryan fell onto his knees remembering all the sins he committed against her. What else was there to do in order for him to gain forgiveness?

Tala pushed a door open to the backyard where plants and flowers were covered in a layer of ice crystals. He remembered bringing her here the moment the abbey fell from power. It was approximately around spring time when he brought her here to escape the world, bringing her to her own secret paradise. Hand in hand they walked through the garden until the scent of flowers caught her by surprise. Curious, she released his hand making her way to the rose covered bushes. Tala watched her ghostly figure hold up a rose as she turned around smiling at him.

"_I don't know what this is but it smells great! So, this is paradise, right?" Viktoria laughed. "I love this place! Thank you, Tala!"_

Kai didn't move since setting foot into the mansion. The sound of footsteps echoed from all directions as his teammates gathered around him.

"Did you find anything?" Kai asked.

"…Memories," Bryan replied. "I found memories."

"Same here," Ian added quietly.

"Me too." Spencer spoke.

"I think we all found pieces of her here," Tala locked eyes with Kai, "I guess it's your turn now, right?"

"Yeah… I'm going to see her,"

Tala reached into his pocket pulling out a white piece of paper. Giving it to Kai he said, "Here, this is where she rests."

"Thanks."

It was a strange feeling, standing in this house. This was the first time he set foot in here and yet he felt a sense of relief, if he could call it that. For a strange place, it had a warm, loving presence which neither he nor the rest had felt before. The place was nothing like the abbey from hell. This was her paradise, her sanctuary.

He remembered all too well her pains within the abbey enduring torture, beatings and abuse to the point she lay unconscious mostly every night. During those times encased in darkness, she smiled and helped others even though they clearly rejected her offer. He remembered she tried convincing him to smile and trust others but being the selfish boy that he was years ago, he disregarded her words. She was nothing more than trash Boris picked up on the side of the road to be later used. But yet, she persisted. Hiding her own pains she remained loyal to them… until the end. She remained loyal to protect her friends—to protect everybody.

Nodding, they opened the front door and left, locking it for the final time. Walking through the cobblestone steps snaking their way through the sea of white ice crystals, Kai turned around looking at the mansion once more. Maybe it was just him but he felt her presence. Perhaps it was her spirit waiting for him to return to give her his answer. After all, she always wanted to know if Kai learnt to smile.

"Wait for me a little longer," Kai said as the wind picked up. The aroma of white lilies filled the air, "I promise I'll give you my answer. Just wait a little bit longer, Viktoria."


End file.
